Sam Taylor-Woods Bram Stoker's Chair Photography.

These are a series of photographs by Sam Taylor-wood. They experiment with different ways of moving the body, I really like the energy in the photos. I find that the photos give off a strong emotion of happiness, jumping is often associated with this. When looking at this picture, I personally look at it as a struggle between the figure, shadow and the chair. To me it almost looks like an attempt to stand on the chair balancing at awkward and bizarre angles. I like the quirkiness of this. It also explores the contrast between weight and gravity. The shadows in the photographs seem very mysterious- there is a shadow of the woman, but not of the chair. The chair is directly 'informed' by the human body yet looks entirely different. On a recent trip to Prague I saw an exhibition with a series of chairs by Robert Wilson, these were also like Sam Taylor-Wood's photography because they were making an everyday object interesting by playing around with it. In Robert Wilson's exhibition he had played around with the standard shape of chairs and how they were displayed, for example one was mounted to a wall, another had legs going down in a diagonal way instead of vertical like the standard chair. I really like the concept of making an everyday object change to be more interesting using art like this.

Andy Warhols Marilyn Prints

These prints are from the 1960's. Andy Warhol created more of many famous people such as Elvis Presley, but the Marilyn Monroe one is definitely the most famous, and my favourite. Andy Warhol is a key figure in pop art. I like the colours in the prints and how the different colours can reflect different moods and make them lively. I also like the abstract effect that the bold colours give off. The prints were made using the silkscreening technique. This is when a photograph is chosen and blown up, it is then glued onto silk and ink is rolled across it. The ink goes through the silk however not through the glue. Therefore the image is the same but slightly different every time. I find that this method seems quite simple, but could be quite risky with the outcomes. A variety of colours are printed onto it using a rubber squeegee. The photograph used in the prints was not taken by Warhol himself, it was from a publicity shoot for the film Niagara, and taken by Gene Korman. I find that some of the prints make Marilyn Monroe look a bit mysterious, and well as pretty. She looks like a model.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh House.

I have thought long and hard about this, and the Mackintosh house is probably my number one piece of art. It is situated in Glasgow in Scotland and is a recreation of the original house that Mackintosh lived in. Everything in the house is designed by Mackintosh. In 1963 the original house was demolished, which is when most things including the hallway and dining room were reconstructed for the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow. There are chairs, tables, a large staircase and many other pieces of furniture. Not everything was rebuilt however, including the cloakroom, bathroom, kitchen and secondary bedrooms. Everything was decorated and built as closely as possible to the original. A lot of them contain a rose motif shown in the picture. It is said that this motif was originally designed by Mackintosh's wife, this almost makes it a family project. Most of the things in the house give the effect that they stand tall, the chairs in particular. The chairs are designed very interestingly in a disciplined style which is very recognisable. I like the Mackintosh house because I find architecture very interesting, especially old and unique designs like the ones here. Mackintosh is a very influential designer many aspects of art as well as architecture. He is often quoted as the first 'modern' one. In the 21st century, his work still looks modern, and many 21st century artists are inspired by him, including myself. Roses like the one in this image are often used in pattern designs for wallpapers published by Sanderson, Galerie and Harlequin.